HELP ! THERE ARE SNAKES IN OUR DRINK - VIETNAM JOURNEY

After a sumptuous lunch in Haldi restaurant near the Chi Chu tunnels, we proceeded to the Mekong Delta, one of Vietnam’s most mysterious and fascinating destinations.

The Mekong River is Southeast Asia's longest river, 4,350 km in length. It flows from the Tibetan Plateau through China, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam and joins the South China Sea. 

It is a critical, highly biodiverse lifeline, supporting over 70 million people with food, water, and transportation and featuring a massive inland fishery and being home to giant catfish, the Irrawaddy dolphin, Siamese crocodiles, Sarus cranes, clouded leopards, and giant ibises.

The river supports the "rice bowl" of Asia and produces up to 25% of the global freshwater catch and is vital for agricultural irrigation.

During our journey, we observed lush green rice fields, and naturally, I felt compelled to capture a photograph with them in the background.

Apart from being a biologically rich ecosystem, the Mekong is also a source of income and sustenance for more than 60 million people. Those living along the river rely on its water for cooking, irrigating, and sanitising. Additionally, it serves as a transportation and trading route for many; it transports goods from different countries and thereby helps in nurturing vibrant exchanges.

The Mekong Delta in southern Vietnam is a vast maze of rivers, swamps and islands, home to floating markets, Khmer pagodas, and villages surrounded by rice paddies. 

Tourists frequently visit the surrounding islands known as Dragon, Unicorn, Tortoise, and Phoenix.

Our bus finally arrived in My Tho, a city in southern Vietnam, from where we would take a boat for easy access to the Mekong River and its surrounding islands.

Founded in the 1680s, My Tho city was originally part of the Khmer Empire before being annexed by the Vietnamese, we can still see French colonial influence everywhere, and culture is a blend of Vietnamese, Chinese, and Khmer influences.

The boat was a very basic one, but it sailed along smoothly in the Tien River, the main branch of the Mekong River. All around us was water, with other boats chugging along merrily.

We finally reached the Unicorn island and got off the boat. We were then escorted to long tables laid in cool wooden patios and treated to the honey and tea experience of the Mekong Delta.

Tea in the Mekong Delta is known for its refreshing and aromatic qualities, often featuring locally sourced honey, flowers, and herbal blends.

A lady prepared the tea by mixing fresh, locally produced honey with kumquat and lime juice and hot water. 

We were shown wooden honeycomb stands. I observed that many bees were busily hovering around us, perhaps angrily eyeing us as the honey thieves. I just prayed fervently that they wouldn’t bite us. 

The tea was served hot in small glass cups, and samples of local products, such as banana candy, candied ginger, and sesame peanut crackers, accompanied our tea. 

The sweet tea really refreshed us and served as a welcome drink on the hot day. Other variants of tea include fragrant pandan-pineapple tea, lotus tea, jasmine tea, and cooling artichoke tea.

Next we had a short buggy ride and were taken to another island where we were seated and offered different types of fruits , while exquisitely dressed in ao dai dresses, beautiful Vietnamese girls sang traditional songs, in their sweet lilting voices.

The national traditional dress in Vietnam is the ao dai, a silk tunic with pants worn by both women and men.

The story of the áo dài started in 1744, when Lord Nguyễn Phúc Khoát asked his subjects to wear a front-buttoned gown with pants. Royals and elites got their dresses made from the finest silk, with intricate details and vibrant colors to represent their rankings in court. 

In the 1930s, the dress was simplified, the front flap was extended to reach the ankle, and the form became more fitted. 

After the establishment of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, the áo dài became a dress saved for professional appearances and special occasions. Nowadays, female high school students are required to wear a dress at least one day a week. The áo dài is also worn by ladies of all ages for any grand occasions.

The traditional dress has new modifications in the form of a boat neck, cropped length, and short sleeves, which are more practical and can be worn in less formal settings. Knee-length styles are convenient for wearing on motorcycles and bicycles

I looked around and found the area elaborately decorated with flowers, and it looked very festive.

The next trip was by traditional sampans again, rowed mostly by women through narrow canals lined by nipa palms, lush orchards, vibrant waterways, and local village life. It was very restful to take the Sampan ride with soothing nature all around us.

At the end of the Sampan ride, we stepped into a coconut workshop in Ben Tre to see how fresh coconut candy is made.

Ben Tre's soft, sticky coconut sweets are incredibly popular all over the world. More than 300 coconut candy factories are found in this area, and Ben Tre is considered the coconut kingdom of Vietnam.

Vietnamese coconut candy production in the Mekong Delta involves grating mature coconut meat, pressing it for thick milk, and simmering it with malt syrup and sugar in large woks for hours, traditionally over a coconut-shell fire. 

The thickened, caramelised mixture is cooled in stainless steel moulds, sliced and cut into smaller rectangular pieces and wrapped in edible rice paper to prevent sticking and to absorb oils. Additional ingredients like peanuts, pandan leaves, durian, chocolate, strawberry and malt are often added for variety.

The whole process took place so smoothly that we looked at it with fascination; we tasted the free candy offered and bought a few boxes to take back to India. 

Our next shock was looking at the bottles of snake wine, my hubby tried it and said it had a smoky flavour, but somehow I don’t yield to dietary temptations when abroad, just in case.

Snake drink is an alcoholic beverage prepared by infusing whole snakes in rice wine or grain alcohol and it is widely touted as an aphrodisiac that enhances virility. Winemakers typically use one large snake per bottle. They may throw in roots, berries, and herbs to enhance the flavor or healing properties or add smaller snakes, scorpions, or geckos.

The drink was first recorded as being consumed in China during the Shang dynasty (1040–770 BC) and is believed to reinvigorate a person according to traditional Chinese medicine. It is a traditional drink in East Asia and Southeast Asia.

Cycling or motor biking is one of the most popular, immersive ways to see the Delta. Several companies offer guided cycling trips, ranging from short day trips near Ho Chi Minh City to longer adventures through remote and unexplored provinces. 

One can move slowly through the countryside, weaving through miniature walkways, over narrow bridges, and through green fields and coconut groves, sometimes stopping in the shade for an ice-cold ca phe or tropical fruit. 

We came back to our boat, where our guide offered a delightful coconut drink to all of us. The water was very sweet and clear.

Green Xiem Coconuts from the Mekong Delta, particularly from Ben Tre Province, are renowned for their high-quality, sweet water and soft flesh. They are cultivated in nutrient-rich soil and harvested after 6-7 months and are known for their refreshing taste, nutritional value and high electrolyte content. 

They are available as fresh, whole young coconuts, diamond-cut, semi-husked, or vacuum-packed, catering to international markets.

Other varieties are Sáp Coconut, which has thick, sticky flesh, Pineapple-Scented coconut, which has a distinct aromatic smell, and fire coconut which comes in a reddish-orange colour. 

After all members of our tour returned, we sailed back in the boat to the My Tho terminal, where our bus was waiting patiently to take us back to Ho Chi Minh City.